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20th Anniversary of the launch of the HIStory World Tour in Prague!

czechstar

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Can you believe it's been 20 years! :0

20 years ago today, Michael Jackson launched his ground breaking HIStory tour in Prague. In what was to become his third and final worldwide solo concert tour, Michael performed the concert at Letna Park, in one of the largest single attended concerts of his career.


A 33-foot statue of Michael was positioned on the the rock pedestal where a massive communist monument of Stalin used to sit overlooking the Vltava river and the Intercontinental Hotel where Michael stayed.


As one of the first Western performers to hold a concert in the city since the fall of the Berlin wall and the end of communist rule, the concert was hugely symbolic and the entire city was swept up in Jacksonmania.


Michael stayed in Prague for 5 days, spending time with President Vaclav Havel, visited Prague Castle and St. Vitus Cathedral, handed out toys at the Zbraslav orphanage and Motol children's hospital and donated money to local charities during his stay. #BožskýMajkl

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I love your hashtag :D

I've been discussing this with my friends all day long. Surprisingly, even those that don't listen to him, attended that concert back in the day. I wish Czech media coverage was better today though...
 
Ké&#382;by jednou vy&#353;el na DVD nebo alespo&#328; unikl.. :) I would love to see this concert in pro :/
 
my first MJ concert! I remember it like it was yesterday. I'll never forget it
 
"Rare-ish" pics from the Prague concert in HQ
(click to enlarge)



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czechstar;4164974 said:
Can you believe it's been 20 years! :0

20 years ago today, Michael Jackson launched his ground breaking HIStory tour in Prague. In what was to become his third and final worldwide solo concert tour, Michael performed the concert at Letna Park, in one of the largest single attended concerts of his career.
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Nope, I can't actually believe that. It sure feels like yesterday from so many points of view. I was actually thinking about this upcoming anniversary. Glad to see I wasn't the only one who remembered :D

This time of the year and that tour hold very important memories for me. I know many are critical of his performances during that tour, but I thought just being there was enough. Couldn't care less if he sang live the recipe to apricot marmalade or mimed his way through classical music :p Not only was I way too far away from the stage to care about the gold pants, but I was far too young at that point in time to even consider such issues. Seriously though, the moment with the flags during TDCAU and the end of the Earth Song performance will always be the high points for me. I'll be there was pretty awesome as well now that I think about it.

Sitting there in anticipation of the show and throughout it all I remember having a rather simplistic approach and not entirely art-focused. All I knew was that I was finally watching perform right there in front of me this cool, awesome guy I had only seen on tele before; a very kind man who only three years earlier had been called a monster almost by the entire world. More than an admiration for the music, my teenage self was there to show support in his ordeal and appreciation for songs like ES and HTW which by that point I was beginning to understand, so much more than in 1992 when I couldn't even pronounce Will you be there. When I would talk to people about songs of his liked I would say "them two slow ones - Heal the world and that other one" lol.

And although back in 1996 I couldn't be that impressed with the gold pants, I did think he was rather cute with them curls and smile and all. Heavens, I still tend to think that way and I know there's plenty of ladies out there who agree with me :)


A 33-foot statue of Michael was positioned on the the rock pedestal where a massive communist monument of Stalin used to sit overlooking the Vltava river and the Intercontinental Hotel where Michael stayed.


As one of the first Western performers to hold a concert in the city since the fall of the Berlin wall and the end of communist rule, the concert was hugely symbolic and the entire city was swept up in Jacksonmania.


Michael stayed in Prague for 5 days, spending time with President Vaclav Havel, visited Prague Castle and St. Vitus Cathedral, handed out toys at the Zbraslav orphanage and Motol children's hospital and donated money to local charities during his stay. #BožskýMajkl

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Is that how you spell his name in Czech - Majkl? That looks so cute :lol:
 
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Girl;4165030 said:
Is that how you spell his name in Czech - Majkl? That looks so cute :lol:
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"Majkl" is the Czech transcript, so you read it in Czech the same way you read "Michael" in English. I usually write "Majkl" instead of "Michael", "Michael Jackson" or "MJ", because then everyone knows who I'm talking about lol. My family teases me with calling him "Majklí&#269;ek" (that's something like "little Mikey") :D
 
Aaaah, Prague.....................:)
I was there, too. For me it also was my first Michael-concert. And yes, I also thought about it the whole day... There are a lot of stories to think and to tell about my days in Prague (a very beautiful city in total MJ-mood:yes:) and of course, about the experience of that concert.
 
czechstar;4164974 said:
Can you believe it's been 20 years! :0

20 years ago today, Michael Jackson launched his ground breaking HIStory tour in Prague. In what was to become his third and final worldwide solo concert tour, Michael performed the concert at Letna Park, in one of the largest single attended concerts of his career.


A 33-foot statue of Michael was positioned on the the rock pedestal where a massive communist monument of Stalin used to sit overlooking the Vltava river and the Intercontinental Hotel where Michael stayed.


As one of the first Western performers to hold a concert in the city since the fall of the Berlin wall and the end of communist rule, the concert was hugely symbolic and the entire city was swept up in Jacksonmania.


Michael stayed in Prague for 5 days, spending time with President Vaclav Havel, visited Prague Castle and St. Vitus Cathedral, handed out toys at the Zbraslav orphanage and Motol children's hospital and donated money to local charities during his stay. #Bo&#382;skýMajkl

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Click to expand...
I saw a reference to this on Facebook and someone posted a picture of Michael on a balcony and by the letters behind him I could tell that it was the Intercontinental Hotel-there were a lot of posts and memories, but no one said what show it was, just that it was the 20th anniversary. I could tell it was History Tour, but didn't realize it was Prague.

I've been really touched reading everybody's memories of this concert-it seems that a lot of diehard forever fans that are on this forum were all at this concert.
I'm sure it was even more important since the end of communist rule-Just wanted to say how sweet this was to read.
 
barbee0715 said:
I saw a reference to this on Facebook and someone posted a picture of Michael on a balcony and by the letters behind him I could tell that it was the Intercontinental Hotel-there were a lot of posts and memories, but no one said what show it was, just that it was the 20th anniversary. I could tell it was History Tour, but didn't realize it was Prague.

I've been really touched reading everybody's memories of this concert-it seems that a lot of diehard forever fans that are on this forum were all at this concert.
I'm sure it was even more important since the end of communist rule-Just wanted to say how sweet this was to read.
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I was extremely lucky to even be at this concert. I had opportunity to go to both Bad and Dangerous tour, but I wasn't allowed, my mom said I was too little. so when I found out he was doing a new tour, I said to my mom that I really wanted to go and she can't tell me I'm to little, I wasn't a little kid anymore. I said, I want to go to the opening concert in Prague, and you know how much this means to me. she said, fine. you can go. I only have one condition. you can't go alone. I didn't care if I had to go alone, I just wanted to go. but since that was her condition, I thought, that can't be hard to find someone to go with, I know a lot of MJ fans. so I started to ask everyone, but no one wanted to go. so I started asking people who weren't MJ fans, and I even asked some of my family, like my grandmother :lol:
I had a lot of penpals, and one of them was going with a friend. they were going with a bus company who had arranged the trip, and of course it was sold out. but now I had at least found someone who was going, so I thought, I'd better stick to her. every day I called the bus company and asked if someone had canceled, but no. then one evening, my penpal called me and said, you're going to Prague!! my friend has canceled, she can't go anyway, so you can have her place!! so all I had to do was to travel to the town where the bus company had arranged the trip from, which also was the town where my penpal lived. but that was the smallest problem. I was going! that's all that mattered to me
 
FullLipsDotNose said:
OMG, so was this your video? I saw it a few months ago :D
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Yes, recorded it with a big old s-vhs videocamera back then (full story in the video description on youtube).
Wasn't really easy to record and hard to enjoy the show from that position, but at least i was there. :)

f7e25iq6.jpg


Did anyone have a ticket with the HIStory image on it?
Seems in Germany only these strange Austrian standard tickets were sold.
 
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Electro, you was there:), me too:). And I saw the concert from an even more bad angle than you.

Just i read you YouTube-report. For me it was similar. I´d fought for a place in front of the stage ((y)being early in the morning at one gate, waiting patiently for the opening of the gate, running very fast to the stage area) - but after about 3 to 4 hours at that place it was impossible for me to stay there. The pressure from behind and the sides were to strong - I couldn´t breathe anymore, I was completely wet of cold sweat, I was afraid to faint. And so I also asked the people around me to pull me out of the crowd. I was carried over the heads of the people before me, the securities brought me to the tent of the RedCross, I got to drink - and could go outside again. But, of course, it was impossible to find a good place again. At least I had to decide for one anywhere left side from the left screen.

Finally 2 to 3 hours later the show began. And this - even from this angle - was exciting. You all have to think about: it was the first! HIStory-concert, nobody of us knew anything what would happen!!! And then we saw the journey through time and space on the screens and a rocket landed on stage and an astronaut left the rocket....... Wow, it was really, really so great!!!

But I could see this astronaut on the stage only as tiny glittering figure. He was lightyears away...:( So I saw the show, no, that´s not true, only very less of the show, but Michael:wub: on the screen. And I remember the sound over there, faraway from stage and the loudspeakers were also rather bad. But at least, yes, I was there - as you said, Electro.

I was so disappointed - and exhausted because of all what had happened. I had a breakdown - I cried, I could not stop. Cried through the fireworks, cried on the long way back to my apartment, cried over the night, cried next day when I went home by train. And the following days at home, too. I remember it took a week to recover. I knew before: to visit a MJ-concert can be like a survival trip. And this in Prague definitely was! The organisation of the concert was extremely unprofessional and yes, at some points dangerous for our lives.

Though it was this very special experience I never regretted to have been there. And the following HIStory-concerts I saw fulfilled all our expectations!!!:)
 
I was never lucky enough to see him perform live so I really appreciate hearing from people who did. Thank you all for sharing your stories. :)

I also like amateur recordings as it gives you a better chance to see what it was really like to be there.. Crowds reactions aren't muted and sometimes you can see what goes on behind the scenes etc..
 
I've been to a couple of the world's superstars' concerts, but, from what you guys say, Michael's concert can't compare to it. I've never seen anyone waiting too many hours for a concert. It's unbelievable.
 
FullLipsDotNose;4165546 said:
I've been to a couple of the world's superstars' concerts, but, from what you guys say, Michael's concert can't compare to it. I've never seen anyone waiting too many hours for a concert. It's unbelievable.
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Oh, no, it is not unbelievable:).

I also have seen very many concerts of great music artists of different genres. No other is like a MJ-concert. Maybe it sounds strange, but the Michael-concerts are very simple: there is just The Man, his dancers, his singers, his band. But the main thing is Michaels totally focused performance, his dance, you can´t take your eyes off him... and you want to watch how he tells the stories of the songs in his unique way...........

And you want to see it so close as possible - and therefore you gladly wait 13 hours:yes:.
 
Electro said:
Yes, recorded it with a big old s-vhs videocamera back then (full story in the video description on youtube).
Wasn't really easy to record and hard to enjoy the show from that position, but at least i was there. :)

f7e25iq6.jpg


Did anyone have a ticket with the HIStory image on it?
Seems in Germany only these strange Austrian standard tickets were sold.
Click to expand...

my ticket also was very standard looking. it was more green though, not like yours. but it didn't have the HIStory image on it. I don't have a scanner, so I can't scan it
 
Please let me make something VERY clear! Your VHS video is not bad! It is worthy to be in the Michael Jackson cannon! I know other recording artists have used bootlegs in their official releases before so PLEASE take care of it and make back up copies PLURAL! I hope that it is officially archived by the Estate! It is FAR from being irrelevant!

I was NOT at the concert but I WAS in Prague a few weeks before (about a month) and I even stayed in the Intercontinental Hotel myself!!! It gives me goose bumps to this day! Only thing was my pictures that I took standing beside a promo poster for the show were lost!!! :no:
 
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